At the foot of the exit barrier of the last lake Novakovića Brod, water from the lake system connects with the water from the Plitvica stream, forming the source of the river Korana. In this way, all the water wealth of the national park was brought together at the source of this karst river.
The Korana River continues its journey through the canyon and the flow of the water drops four times over the tufa barriers.
In dry, summer months, downstream from its source, the river descends and its riverbed dries up at around 14 km downstream from the Korana village. On its 134 km-long journey towards Karlovac, the Korana receives water from many permanent and intermittent watercourses, most notably from Slunjčica and Mrežnica. In Karlovac, the river flows into the Kupa River, and together they continue towards the mouth to the Sava. Their path then leads them to the Danube into which they flow as their right and, by flow volume, largest tributary. The waters of the Korana finish their freshwater journey of around 2070 km at the Danube estuary into the Black Sea.
This way, the waters of the Plitvice Lakes connect to all the world’s seas. This is yet another proof that Plitvice Lakes are not only Croatian, but true world heritage.
Course of the Korana River from the Plitvice Lakes National Park to the Black Sea (Photo: PL NP Archive) 
Korana River canyon in the past (Photo: PL NP Archive)
*It is still unclear how the Korana River got its name. Some think that the name “Korana” derives from the word kora (plant), while others think it comes from the name “Gorana”, in the sense of water flowing from the mountain (gora in Croatian). Some also think that its name is connected to its riverbed lined with cliffs buried sharply and deep into the ground.
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